The Geography of Central Asia [electronic resource] : Human Adaptations, Natural Processes and Post-Soviet Transition / by Igor Jelen, Angelija Bučienė, Francesco Chiavon, Tommaso Silvestri, Katie Louise Forrest.

Preface -- Acknowledgement -- Chapter 1. Premise: a land of extremes -- Chapter 2. The geographical setting and physical environment -- Chapter 3. Geo biology, botanic and biodiversity -- Chapter 4. Ecological base and environmental constraints -- Chapter 5. Modernization and correspondent ecological/ human ruptures -- Chapter 6. Environmental challenges in globalization and post-modern times -- Chapter 7. A historical periodization: from nature to early stages of human settlement, to classic age -- Chapter 8. Modern era and modernization processes until the soviet collapse -- Chapter 9. The geographical mosaic -- Chapter 10. From culture to material aspects -- Chapter 11. The material "container": structural and infra-structural aspects -- Chapter 12. Economics, from micro to macro -- Chapter 13. Institutions and politics -- Chapter 14. Political geography and geopolitics -- Chapter 15. Final comments.

This book provides a profound geographical description and analysis of Central Asia. The authors take a synthetic approach in a period of critical transformation in the post-soviet time. The monograph analyzes comprehensively the physical and human geography as well as human-nature interactions of Central Asia with focus on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Natural processes are described at a systemic scale, focusing on ecological impacts and consequences and contemporary human adaptations and organization. It also discusses in which ways the human organizations try to apply solutions for their needs such as security, territorial management and resources renewability, material and functional needs, identity elaborations, culture and communication. The Geography of Central Asia appeals to scientists and students of regional geography and interested academics from other areas such as social, political, economic and environmental studies within the context of Central Asia. The book is also a very useful resource for field trips into this area.